The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 crossed the continent, from Oregon to South Carolina, and gave millions of people the chance to witness one of the most awe-inspiring events in the natural world.

But you had to be within the "path of totality", a narrow band across the earth's surface several thousand miles long but only about 70 miles wide. Outside that band you would only see a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse.

And there is no such thing as a "partial total eclipse", despite the impression blogs and the news media might give. I honestly think that's why so many people misunderstand the utter beauty of the spectacle; they may have seen a partial eclipse in the past that was total somewhere else, and even though they weren't in the path the news kept gushing about it being a total eclipse, so they assume they must have seen a total eclipse and just didn't find it all that impressive.


Posted by Dan 08/29/2017, revised 09/06/2017

Ironman 70.3 Ecuador was actually my second race of 2021, but I didn't write about Challenge Cancun 70.3 in May because of what happened this spring. Although the race in Cancun went surprisingly well, my life was in such a dark place, I worried that the doom would spill into my writing so I just avoided it altogether.

I imagine I'm not the only one who left 2020 thinking wearily, "Well, it can't get much worse, can it?"

But of course, yes, it always can.

2020 was supposed to be my final year racing as a pro, and given that it was my Grand Finale, I had planned to hit four international races, maybe five if things went well. It had been eight years since I had traveled out of the country and I was getting the itch to explore the world while I still had the chance to leverage my pro status to cover some of the cost of travel.

To say that I was disappointed to see 2020 cancelled would be a massive understatement, but I do love being at home, so during the long months of lockdown, I became a homebody extraordinaire, fixing up our modest living space, painting the exterior of the property (which took me 3 months to complete!) and developing a new obsession with gardening.



In April of 2021, I was ecstatic to schedule my Covid vaccination and to begin making plans to race Cancun 70.3. It felt like life was finally coming back!

. . . and then our house flooded.


Posted by Kimberly 07/22/2021

Well we managed to extricate ourselves from Koh Tao last week. The trick is to do it fast and with no warning. We went down to check on tickets to Chiang Mai and found that it was either leave the next day or wait another week for availability, so we booked it and got the next boat off.

Goodells Rule!

Posted by nik 10/21/2008, revised 11/05/2008

Awww, why did I have to find my favorite place yet at the very end of my time in Colombia??

Salento is an incredible little pueblo in the breathtaking coffee region of Colombia. The climate is a mix of good solid downpours and rich, beautiful breaks in the clouds for the sun. Even when it rains, it can't be called "cold." Only "fresh." The hills and valleys all around are green green green, with wisps of white clouds drifting in about them, holding close to the earth.

The town itself is packed with color and artisan life. The main street is a gorgeous little narrow road lined on either side with tiny shops selling all sorts of great works of art - jewelery, woodwork, paintings (incredible paintings!), clothing, traditional Colombian sombreros, and lots of great little cafes that serve (of course) delicious coffee. I've found that many little pueblos of Colombia and Ecuador, while they have a nice small-town feel with friendly people, they lack in much character or culture as far as the town itself goes. They're just kind of bland. But this... this is an incredible mix of nature, culture, friendliness, liveliness, and relaxation-without-boredom.


The town of Salento, colorful and lively

Posted by Whitney 07/31/2011, revised 08/15/2011